May
May is the month of flowers, romance, and celebrations. May is the time for picnics, weddings, graduations, first communions and other gatherings; it is traditionally a very hopeful month. In April we talked about Hope. We will continue to talk about Hope in May because here in the Midwest we had a very rough spring. We need to figure out how to face our current crisis as the best version of ourselves. Several weeks ago, someone I barely know spontaneously gave me a book called Beautiful Hope, Finding Hope in a Broken World by a group of Catholic writers.
Gift of Hope
Call this a coincidence or a blessing. I needed this book. During April, like many of you, I had had a number of setbacks. I needed to renew my Hope. In this book Matthew Kelly, a famous author and motivational speaker reminds us that it’s never too late for a new beginning. “ It’s never too late to start over again. It’s never too late to choose the best version of yourself…people of possibility never give up.” Father Mike Schmitz adds “If you desire to be a person of hope…you must be a person of two things: meaning and action.” We can’t just sit around and wait for something good to happen; we must discover our purpose and develop a plan of action.
Listening For Hope
As a coach, I have found that it is important to have role models in order to hang on to hope and move forward with our lives. Having role models helps us see how to become the person we really want to be. May is the month of Mother’s Day. Catholics designate May as the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I want to share some important things that I learned from important women in my own life. My mother was a good friend to many people. She had excellent hospitality and social skills. Most of all she was a good listener. In her later years she developed dementia. I warned a friend of mine that she had dementia. When I introduced them, my mother said to her” why don’t you have a drink and sit down and tell me about yourself.” My friend talked nonstop for an hour as my mother nodded and smiled at her. After we left, my friend said” there’s nothing wrong with your mother. She doesn’t have dementia, she is one of the most intelligent and insightful women that I ever met” Sometimes we try too hard to make friends. The moral of this story is “listening goes a long way and we should do it more”
A Legacy of Hope
The late Janet Sue Block was my coworker at Social and Rehabilitation Services and one of my dearest friends. Everyone loved Janet because she was such a joy and inspiration. Janet was a beautiful woman physically, emotionally, and spiritually. One of her greatest gifts was her ability to bring people together. She helped us celebrate every birthday, holiday, or any special occasion. Janet was fun, kindly and thoughtful. She was the perfect 60’s girl. Janet was old school; she had social grace and dressed to kill in all the latest fashions. I’m convinced that Smokey Robinson must have known Janet when he wrote My Girl for the Temptations-“I got sunshine on a cloudy day. When it’s cold outside I’ve got the month of May”. Who do you want to become this May. How will you be remembered?
Values Give Us Hope
An example of a modern day woman to emulate is Keira Mitchell of Kwik Sell Realty (417-938-6468). People marvel at Keira’ s ability to manage her real estate company while being the “glue that holds her family together”. She and her husband, Robert Mitchell; owner of Kwik Dry Restoration (417-812-4131) mission is to “take what is lost and bring it back to its original state, even better!” Keira’s signature character strengths are love, honesty, humor, spirituality, and gratitude. Keira is the best version of herself because she lives out her values. In a recent interview, I asked her about her real estate clients and she said “I just want to help them”. Kiera is definitely a woman of integrity.
Find out what your character strengths are by going to www.viacharacter.org and taking the Values in Action Survey. We do our best when we act in congruity with our core values.
Inspiring Hope in Others
We need to be the same person both at work and in our personal lives. I experienced a great example of something we should all do when interacting with customers. I recently hired Loves Handyman Service (loveshandyman@gmail.com 417-207-0445) to do some work in my barn. Bob Love (what a great name) knows that I am getting ready to open Sabbath Stables. When he finished installing my new lighting, he said “I hope you do well with your stable.” His sincerity was moving. Don’t forget to wish your customer’s well. It is so refreshing when you take this kind of interest in your client’s wellbeing.
Restore Your Own Sense of Hope
Take some time this month to examine your values and put them into action. It’s not too late to become the hopeful person you were meant to be. It helps to get away for a few hours to admire nature, relax, and write your own mission statement. Take a trip to my vacation rental in Buffalo, Missouri. Our mission statement is “The Shalom of Sabbath Sojourn leads people to the rest, rejuvenation, and regeneration that they were meant to have. Sabbath Stables sparks joy and admiration of God’s creatures in every visitor.”
https://evolve.com/vacation-rentals/us/mo/buffalo/462541?queryID=2c2f70dd5b526a4ad69f3561a0e8645d
https://evolve.com/vacation-rentals/us/mo/buffalo/462542?queryID=2c2f70dd5b526a4ad69f3561a0e8645d
